Portage la Prairie
The City and Environs
A Brief History
Portage la Prairie places it's early beginning with the First Nations Dakota and Ojibway, who found the area abundant with wildlife and a natural crossroads between the plains, the Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba. The French explorers Radisson and Groseilliers visited often between 1658 and 1690; and are credited with naming the area. Gautier Verennes de la Verendrye was the next explorer to investigate the region, arriving in 1738. The following year, he had built Fort la Reine, a trading post on the long portage between the Assiniboine and Lake Manitoba to the North.
The first permanent european settlement was started in 1851 by the East Church Mission Society, under Archdeacon Cochrane. Almost thirty years later, in 1880, Portage la Prairie was incorporated as a town with a population of over 800 citizens. As the years moved on, the city has become a very important agricultural hub, with industry developing steadily since the 1950's. Today, Portage enjoys a diversified city economy with a small town feel.
Geography & Special Events
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Portage la Prairie is blessed with many natural points of interest. Just 24km (14 miles) to the north lays Lake Manitoba, the tenth largest freshwater lake in the world. Clean sandy beaches and a rare inland commercial fishery are two of its many highlights. Flowing just south the city is the Assiniboine River, an excellent sport fishing area. One of the many beautiful public parks that dot the surrounding area can be found right at the Portage Diversion, a flood prevention project that diverts floodwaters north during spring highwaters. Less than an hours drive east is Winnipeg, Manitoba's capital; and an hours drive west is Brandon, Manitoba's second largest city, and agricultural hub for the South-West of Manitoba. |
| Fort la Reine Museum and Pioneer Village is on the eastern outskirts of the city. The museum displays Indian and pioneer artifacts from the 19th century. Also on display is 19th Century rail cars, and a two-seat trainer airplane from the old air force base. The Pioneer Village depicts life in Portage at the turn of the century. Visitors can see the old blacksmith shop, a log homestead, a trading post, and an 1870 vintage "Red River Cart". |
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Points of Interest
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Many fruit and vegetable farms dot the landscape of Rural Portage la Prairie. Strawberry farms are especially abundant. The "Portage Exhibition", an agricultural fair and trade show, is held every July at the Exhibition Grounds on Island Park. The island is peculiar in that it is surrounded by an oxbow lake, a remnant of the Assiniboine River from ages past. The lake is kept fresh by underground piping from the nearby Assiniboine, and is a popular natural skating rink during winter months. In recent years past, both the Motor Ice Racing Union and Power Sledding Association featured Portage la Prairie's Crescent Lake as part of their tour. |
| The Exhibition Grounds shares the island with the Portage la Prairie Golf Course, a fully serviced, 18 hole course. The other feature of the island is Island Park, with an arboretum, bird and deer sanctuary, full-scale replica windmill, picnic grounds, band shell, tennis courts, the Prime Minister Arthur Meighen Memorial, and its picturesque beauty. The island has an excellent waterskiing facility, home of the 1990 Canadian National Waterskiing Championships. |
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The Republic of Manitobah Park, on the eastern edge of the city, has fifteen baseball and soccer fields, a rugby pitch and a horseshoe throwing lanes for teams and enthusiasts. In addition, Centennial Arena is the home of the Portage Terriers, a Junior "B" hockey team. The Portage Curling Centre, located in one of the three malls on the west end of the city, is a world class facility: it has been the site of two World championships: Junior Men's (1990) and Seniors Men, Women and Mixed (1992). |
| The most comprehensive sports facility in rural Manitoba can be found at Southport, a small town just 5km south of Portage. The complex has an Olympic pool, weight room, fully serviced gymnasium, sauna, whirlpool, 5 pin bowling facility, tennis courts, and much more. |
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Portage is a growing city. More than three-quarters of the schools are less than thirty years old. With four junior high schools, two high schools, and a Red River College campus, Portage offers a wide variety of educational choice for students.
Portage is a small city of 13,000....it has a busy, growing downtown district, a new public library and arts centre, a thriving industrial park, and three shopping malls conveniently together on the west end. Portage la Prairie is a city that remembers it's rich past; but embraces its motto: Progress.
